Envisioning a society
in which there is
justice for all

MOBILIZATION FOR JUSTICE, formerly MFY Legal Services, offers free legal assistance to low-income New Yorkers throughout New York City to resolve legal problems in the areas of housing; foreclosure; civil, disability and aging rights; bankruptcy, tax, consumer, employment, government benefits, immigration, and kinship care. Through these services we prevent homelessness, help seniors and people with disabilities live independently, stabilize families, maintain and increase income, and address racial disparities.

The Fall issue of MFJ-FYI explores the growing problem of student debt carried by adults aged 60 and older. Over the past decade the number of older student loan borrowers has quadrupled and the amount of debt per older borrower has roughly doubled. In addition to paying off their own student loans, some older adults …

Jeanette Zelhof, Executive Director; Orier Okumakpeyi, Senior Staff Attorney; Montel Cherry, Supervising Attorney; and Kevin Cremin, Director of Litigation, discuss Mobilization for Justice’s deep concerns about the impact the new administration will have on our clients who are a diverse group of people who struggle every day to maintain housing, income and the precious few …

Mobilization for Justice strongly opposes any actions to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. As part of our immigration practice, we will continue to provide services to DACA recipients and their families and will redouble our efforts to demand immigration reform that provides a path toward citizenship for the millions of people …

News & Press

In this op-ed in City Limits, three-quarter house resident Jasmine Monk describes how tenants in seven houses operated by Interline were left to fend for themselves after Interline operators were indicted for Medicaid fraud. Already poor conditions deteriorated rapidly, with no heat and hot water, and broken locks on doors. While the city stepped in …

In testimony before the New York City Council in support of Intro 385, MFJ paralegal Jeff Bohn described how low-income tenants are virtually held hostage in mold-ridden apartments that exacerbate children’s asthma because landlords are not fixing the problem and tenants have nowhere else to go. The bill calls for reclassifying mold to a higher …

In testimony before the NYS Assembly Committee on Health, MFJ Attorney Daniel A. Ross offered a blueprint for improving the quality of care and patient safety in nursing homes and drew attention to the state Department of Health’s (DOH) lax enforcement of regulations protecting residents. Ross urged legislators to enact a staffing ratio bill to …

Success Story

Like many seniors throughout Manhattan, Patricia, age 88, was harassed by her landlord, who was determined to force her out of her rent-regulated apartment by making a series of unfounded allegations in an eviction proceeding. Our staff negotiated with the landlord who eventually signed a stipulation that abandoned all of the claims it made in his holdover petition. After her nightmare was over, Patricia’s son wrote to us: “Without great exaggeration, it is fair to say that the services … of the team at Mobilization for Justice were life-saving.”